Did you know that only 9% of Americans who make resolutions actually complete them? And about 43% of people end up quitting their goals by the end of January.
It’s come to that time of year where the hype of New Year’s resolutions has dialed down and people have either started to completely forget about them or have just simply given up.
Personally, I always find it overwhelming to create the traditional list of New Year’s resolutions right when January hits. If I do end up making a list, I can vouch for the fact that I never actually end up sticking to my resolutions.
It can be stressful to create goals that are so big and overwhelming that many people just give up. Here are a few pieces of advice to help you stick to your resolutions and goals.
Create More Attainable Resolutions
This year I have found it particularly more beneficial and fulfilling to create smaller resolutions that are somewhat attainable each and every day. Creating these smaller resolutions allows me to feel like I’m being productive and achieving some type of goal everyday.
A few examples of ways to create these attainable resolutions include lowering expectations and being specific and timely. Lowering your expectations and not setting your standards as high for these goals play a significant role in actually successfully accomplishing them. You want a goal that will drive you and motivate you to complete, but not one you dread thinking about.
Being specific about your goals definitely makes it easier to narrow down your interests and gives you the opportunity to truly restart on your resolutions.
Additionally, being timely with your goals and setting realistic time frames and deadlines truly pushes you and motivates you much more to get them accomplished.
Make Your Goals More Specific
Making your goals more specific is a great way to really zone into what can help you accomplish them. It helps you also take proper actions and steps to fulfill that goal.
Creating these proper steps within goal setting automatically will set you up for success. Personally, if I know the exact steps that lead up to the big outcome, I have way more motivation to complete it.
Having a “checklist mindset”, of completing each step and checking it off is fulfilling because it allows you to feel productive each step of the way.
Hold Yourself Accountable
I think accountability is the biggest and most important aspect to coming back to your resolutions. It takes two people to hold yourself accountable. I suggest finding an accountability buddy because having someone else who is trying to accomplish the same goal is a huge motivator.
For example, I am constantly trying to motivate myself to workout. It is especially hard to get yourself to workout alone. Working out with another friend or family member makes it so much easier to get through the workout and have more fun.
I think holding yourself accountable starts small where you are creating a schedule for yourself and trying out new techniques to see what does and doesn’t work. Then I think if you really need it, try to reward yourself for accomplishing those small goals! Creating small rewards after accomplishing something trains your brain to want to keep pushing towards completing more.
Holding yourself accountable is practically a form of self discipline, so training your mind to consistently work harder is something that will ultimately pay off in the long run.
In reality, most people give up following through with their New Year’s resolutions because the majority of the time they are unrealistic. That’s why I highly suggest creating smaller and more attainable goals that can be accomplished timely.
Doing so will most definitely help avoid all the stress, anxiety and anger associated with setting overwhelming goals.
